The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-16
HEALTH MEMS VIEWS.
DE-. FALLIcANTS INSPE -TION OF
MEMPHIS SEWERS.

ton "A Better Drainage System
Needed for Savannah-Dr. Falligant' 8
Plan.
During his recent visit to Memphis, where
he went to attend the annual meeting of the
American Public Health Association, DR.
L. A Falligant made thorough inspection
of the Memphis drainage system, the fea-
lures of which were discussed at length by
the members of the association.
DR.. Falligant was seen yesterday by a
MORNING News reporter, and was asked
what he saw in Memphis that might be Of
interest to the people of Savannah.
MY deer fellow, | saw so much, heard so
much, and learned so much said the
doctor, sin those few days, that would not
have to be very verbose to give you material
enough for your whole edition, and all of
il, too, exceedingly valuable to learn. just
think of the scope and practical value of
such subjects as the complete and practical
extinction of diseased germs in solid and
liquid states by fire, the prevention
of pollution of water supplies,
the avoidance of sewerage incrus-
tations with ice cut for cooling our libations,
the disposal of garbage by fire in practi
cal and speedy, as well as economical, way,
the practical methods for preventing the
transportation and sale of diseased meats,
the methods of cleansing systems of
house-drainage, the practical solu-
tions of conflicting questions involved
in national and State guarantees,
and many other equally important and in
tereSting subjects, every one of which con
Germs, more or less, the protection of public
health and welfare. Imperfect sanitary
conditions not only predispose us TO local
and climatic disorders, such as typhoid and
typho-malarial fevers but are the hot bc1s
in which diseases more generally of exotic
origin, like yellow fever, find congenial
soil. d"
II think, Doctor. that the readers of the
MORNING News would read with interest
any information that you can give to en-
tighten them on the subjects you have
named. Memphis has the reputation of
having an excellent system of house drain
age; did you inspect it!
THE MEMPHIS DRAINAGE SYSTEM
Eyes; and l can hardly tell you the pleas
ure it gave me to witness the practical solu
ton of what our Savannah authorities have
regarded as insurmountable engineering
difficulties"
''Give me an instance of this kind, Doc
torP'
''Well, you know that in paper recently
published by me in the MORNING NEWS, !
intimated that pipe could be extended
from West Broad street to East Broad
street, continuous from end TO end, without
break in it, about f. 900 feet of distance:
and that so constructed, it could be flushed
by throwing on the water at West Broad
street and letting it empty into the East
Broad street sewer, thus securing the econo-
my of only one valve or automatic flush tank
for the entire lne-so that no intermediate
flushing point would be necessary. You
will readily perceive how economically and
w bo no ii
by line of flush points extending along
West Broad street at the heads of such lane
sewers as devised, each one pouring the
water through its drain pipe, and all find
ing their terminal discharge at East Broad
street,
"You say there is fall enough in the grade
from the surface at West Broad street to the
sewer level in East Broad street so that it
would not be necessary to use the interme-
diate large brick storm water sewers now
existing for house drainage connections"
Perfectly so. The Memphis system is
without any standpipe pressure to force the
water through the drains, but gets a con-
siderable force by the grade fall in portions
of the system. Other portions of the sys-
tenn have grade fall of hardly more than
ii inches in hundred feet. Yet the pres
ure of the water coming down from points
of greater grade fall into these sections has
been found to have sufficient driving power
TO increase the rapidity of the current in
these more nearly horizontal sections so as
10 make them perform very satisfactory
work.
Make this power little more clearly
understood"
TO OBTAIN A CURRENT.
"Wen, suppose l attach a hose 100 feet in
length TO pipe at the base of the water
tower near Haines' mill If the tower have
only or 10 feet of water in it, the pressure
Will not be very great, and the water viii
not be forced through the hose to a point
very far beyond its mouth. Now suppose |
attach to the base of the tower a hose long
enough 30 reach to East Broad street, and
at the same time fill the tower to its top
with water You will find the water pour
ing out of the terminal extremity of the
pipe or hose at East Broad street with about
the same force that it would at
jefferson street, provided there are no
breaks or escape points in the hose, or
lateral eddylng points in the pipe"
There has been some question as to why
you threw out the intermediate surface
drainage sewers between East Broad and
West Broad streets"
II don't want them. They would not
serve my purposes as well as one continuous
pipe, and would have a half dozen times
as much work in flushing them. Besides,
suppose emptied one into the. Barnard
street sewer, how am l going to flush out
that sewerl l know there is a claim that
these big sewers are flushed, but it is all
nonsense. 1t cannot be done with any
means now at our command any more than
you can flush the bed of the Savannah river
with a stream from Musgrove creek, or
plug up the open head of a beer barrel with
a soda water cork l am perfectly well
aware that / may puncture the self-com-
placency of some of our recent authorities,
but l am guided by facts and mechanical
principles alone, and not by fancies or i'm
agination."
"How many flush points do you think
would be needed on West Broad streetm
"One at the head of each lane-about
twenty in ALL"
How long would it take to flush these
lane pipes?"
CARING FOR THE SEWERS.
'Not exceeding five to ten minutes to
each pipe. For twenty pipes about three
hours; so that one man could repeat the
flushing process in each pipe every three
hours, or eight times in the twenty-four
hours
"You are confident, Doctor, that con-
tinuous pipe could be run from West Broad
to East Broad street, say 1000 feet"
Il am not only confident of it, but have
just seen pipe over two miles long. and
serving as the central pipe for over so, 900
people, The lateralS empty into IT, and il